Marketing Automation vs. CRM

Marketing technology progress often lumps together disparate terms. As executives throw words like “marketing automation” and “CRM” around the conference room, their true meanings, and more importantly their true benefits, begin to get cloudy. At the end of the day, however, organization leaders need to know what the best practices are to gain qualified leads that can be sent down the sales pipeline in the most productive way.

While this seems like a straightforward task, a deep understanding of these technologies and tactics is essential for success in the marketplace. Choosing an appropriate CRM seems like a somewhat trivial choice. Nevertheless, depending on internal sales goals, funnels, and staff, certain CRM’s may lend themselves toward your company’s goals more than others. Selecting an appropriate CRM is important. The trick is in understanding the importance of how your CRM and marketing automation work together.

Your marketing automation system should seamlessly mesh with your organization’s CRM. Capturing qualified leads and sales intelligence from your marketing automation system will nourish your CRM with “sales ready” prospects and data. As such, your sales staff will be able to utilize internal information about potential clients with regard to their company’s history, digital behavior, and how your business can benefit theirs.

In fact, peeking into the future reveals another important factor in the sales funnel: customer engagement. Taking advantage of valuable company prospect information will elevate your leads, boost your sales reps’ lead knowledge, and create a better flow within the sales funnel.